Must Love Dogs
by Thorsmaven
Summary: Sirius Black x Lucius Malfoy slash AU fic! Lucius is the same age as Sirius- and while they're at Hogwarts he finds what he assumes to be a stray black dog that he finds fitting enough to be his pet... COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Must Love Dogs  
>Pairing: Sirius Black x Lucius Malfoy<br>Characters: Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, James Potter, Remus Lupin  
>Rated: T<br>Warnings: SLASH M/M, some implied voyeurism and wishful thinking 

(*************)

Summary: AU FIC! LUCIUS IS THE SAME AGE AS EVERYONE ELSE. Lucius finds a stray black dog- or what he assumes is a stray- on the Hogwarts grounds one day.

(*************)

Author's notes: This story is completed! I will be uploading chapters at will. It was started July 24, 2011- I forgot about it- and came back to clean it up. Enjoy!

(*) Chapter 1 (*)

Sirius lowered his head to lap at the water in the river, his tail wagging a little. Peter, Remus, and James had since gone back to the castle but he wanted to stay just a bit more to enjoy the night air. He heard the crack of a twig and stopped dead where he stood. He lifted his head up, sniffing what smelt like a familiar blend spices and cologne. Malfoy. He let a growl rumble past his lips as he whipped around looking for the Slytherin who dared intrude on his perfect night.

Lucius walked through the underbrush to take a seat on the over grown roots of a Cyprus tree, brushing his pale blonde hair over his shoulder. He folded his hands neatly in his lap as he watched the river bugs slowly landing on the water's surface. His half lidded eyes indicated deep thought, making Sirius wonder if he could make a run for it without him noticing. No such luck however as Lucius turned his head to the side catching Sirius standing rigidly on the river bank.

He wavered slightly- hoping that Malfoy disliked dogs enough to ignore him. Again, no such luck. Lucius slid his legs off the roots approaching him slowly. "Here dog- come here."

Sirius backed off, barring his teeth and growling. He should have known better to stick around rather than going back to the castle with his friends. He barked and growled but it didn't seem to help him any.

"Oh knock it off. You won't bite me. Now come here." He patted his leg and held out his hand. Sirius wavered slightly- torn between biting the out stretched hand, or running back to the castle… but half of him wanted to see what Malfoy had in mind. He lowered his tail between his legs and slowly approached him, ready to make a run for it if Lucius reached for the silver hilt of his wand. But instead, he scratched behind Sirius's floppy black ears. "That's a good boy! See? I knew you wouldn't bite me."

Sirius's tail slowly began to wag his tail slowly- damn the sensitive parts behind his ears! Lucius kept petting him, rubbing down his neck, down his back- and he wagged his tail harder. Before he could stop himself, he rolled on to his belly- where Lucius began to rub his stomach.

"You are such an ugly, mange riddled dog- but you do have an odd charm about you."

Sirius stopped writhing around in delight, and barked up at Lucius- taking offense to that statement.

"It is not my fault you don't take care of yourself! You need a bath- you're filthy from rolling around in the dirt!"Lucius stood up, dusting the dirt from his pants from kneeling on the bank. "Come along, I've decided to keep you as the Slytherin mascot. I will clean you up- you'll be looking like a dog with a pedigree in no time."

Sirius skittered to his feet, dancing nervously on his paws. He couldn't be taken to the Slytherin dungeons- not when he needed to be back in the tower. James and the others would get worried if he were gone all night long- well, if they didn't assume he was with some witch. He needed some way to get out of here and fast. If Malfoy hated dirt, then he would just have to get him dirty enough to be disgusted in order to make his break for it. He started to shake out his coat, flinging mud, dirt, and the river water from his earlier frolicking all over his fellow student.

"Awp!" Lucius threw up his arms to block his face. However it was too late for the rest of him. Once he heard the dog stop, he brought down his arms in time to see the beast making a run for it. "Oh no you don't." He muttered and removed his wand from his robe pocket. "_Petrificus totalus!_"

Sirius stopped dead in his tracks, falling over to the ground. He cursed himself inwardly for thinking that Malfoy would be beyond attacking a hapless animal. He heard the crunch of footfalls on crisp grass and saw the shadow of the blonde teen standing over him. His body was being levitated off the ground as Lucius walked him back. "Oh honestly. It's just a bath. It's not the end of the world."

-TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Must Love Dogs  
>Pairing: Sirius Black x Lucius Malfoy<br>Characters: Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, James Potter, Remus Lupin  
>Rated: T<br>Warnings: SLASH M/M, some implied voyeurism and wishful thinking 

Summary: AU FIC! LUCIUS IS THE SAME AGE AS EVERYONE ELSE. Lucius finds a stray black dog- or what he assumes is a stray- on the Hogwarts grounds one day.

Author's notes: This story is completed! I will be uploading chapters at will. It was started July 24, 2011- I forgot about it- and came back to clean it up. Enjoy!

***Sirius's thoughts as a dog are italicized.

(*) Chapter 2 (*)

Sirius looked around the Slytherin bathroom, secretly delighted to be in forbidden territory. Rumor has it that Salazar Slytherin loved water- and the bathrooms reflected that. Everything had a decoration in relationship to water- from the ornate faucets made to resemble rushing water, to the green inlaid tear drop shapes pressed into the stone surfaces. The rest of the bathroom was decorated with silver stone work. Currently, the massive tub was being filled with water and whatever perfumed soaps Malfoy seemed to have in excess. He let out a whine, he was never going to hear the end of this from the other marauders when he came back smelling of frou-frou soaps and shampoos. He watched the blonde bend over the tub, testing the water. His tail wagged a little at the sight. He had never seen it from this angle before, but Malfoy had a nice ass. He lingered on the sight for longer than he probably should have as his tail wagged harder in response. He'll have to remember that information when he was in his human form.

"Alright, it seems like it'll be fine. Into the tub, Wellington."

Sirius cocked his head to the side. _Wellington_? _What_ _kind of a name is Wellington for a dog?_ He uttered another whine and dug his nails into the floor, trying to keep himself low and difficult to pick up.

"What a dramatic dog. You'd think I was going to shave you or something horrible. It's just a bath!" He saw Lucius reach for his wand and braced himself for what could possibly be some high level nasty spell- as Slytherins _were_ known for that kind of thing. "_Wingardium leviosa!" _

With a loud splash, he was in the tub- in the soap, amongst the bubbles. He blinked- feeling silently stupid. Of course he would use that spell, it made the most sense. He felt Lucius's hands on him again, expertly working some nice smelling shampoo into his coat. It did feel good, the other teen had long, graceful fingers that worked nicely into his fur, rubbing and petting all the right spots. His tail was like a propeller under the water, and it didn't stop. Those fingers were nice, gentle- almost loving if Sirius didn't know better.

"This is my own personal shampoo- nobody is allowed to use it but me. I made it during potions when I was a second year as a side project and now I can't help but use it! It's what makes my hair so perfect and manageable. You're going to be envied! Which is honestly saying something considering you're a dog in all..."

He didn't care, only half listening to whatever Lucius said- content to have a Malfoy of all people wash him clean. He barely noticed the water being drained, or the towel wrapped around his person as he was lifted out of the tub.

Using his wand as a tool, Malfoy cast a drying charm and began brushing the tangles out of his fur. "There… You're looking sharp, Wellington. Hardly recognizable from before- you might even win a blue ribbon." He looked amused and stood back up. "Just relax for now- I'm going to take a quick bath myself-considering you thought it wise to dirty me up outside."

Sirius snapped out of his daze. He couldn't believe it- a bath? He wasn't being shooed out the door? Oh this was rich. He was given quite the pampering treatment by Lucius Malfoy of all people, and now he was going to get to see him naked? What did he do that was so good to deserve all of this? He watched his fingers carefully open the buttons of his uniform shirt, pale skin slowly exposed to him. He licked his lips, staring and trying not to blink. He may not have liked Malfoy, but he was attractive in a way that most men normally weren't- and a pretty decent fellow when it came to dogs apparently. Besides, he didn't have to like the person to appreciate a hot body.

The door to the bathroom opened, catching both Sirius and Lucius off guard. Severus walked in, wrinkling his nose. "…I almost thought you had someone in here with you. I honestly did not expect the mutt."

Sirius flattened his ears against his head. _Snivellus_! Of all people to walk in on him seeing forbidden flesh!

"Isn't he great?" Lucius got down beside him, wrapping his still clothed arms around Sirius's body. "I've always wanted a pet. It was hard for father to even give me an owl to use. He's not one for animals. …Or people, for that matter."

The bare flesh of his chest rubbing up against his fur made Sirius pant uncontrollably- coupled with the scent of the other teen was enough to send him to doggy heaven. He turned his head to the side and licked Lucius's cheek.

Snape's eyes wandered down to the dog that was happily lapping at his best friend's face. "I… see. There's something familiar about that dog."

"Oh hush. You'd be suspicious of a cupcake." He laughed and pushed Sirius's muzzle away. "Stop, Wellington! That's enough! You're getting slobber all over me! But do you see? He loves me!"

"Mmmhmm. I see. I've caught you before you were going to take a bath. I'll take the dog out-"

Sirius growled in dismay. No way was Snivellus going to get in the way of his continued Malfoy pampering.

"Don't be silly. He's fine in here with me. Besides, I'm not sure he'll get along with everyone else and he doesn't seem to be favoring you at all. Be nice to Severus, Wellington. He's the only friend I've got besides you."

Sirius stopped growling and looked to Lucius. That struck him as sad, and a small pang of guilt stuck inside his gut. He whined softly and let his ears go back up.

"Oh look, we're friends now. He's stopped growling and it's wonderful." He said dryly. "I'll take him outside so you can have your peace."

_No_! Why was Snivellus always trying to stop him from what he wanted so badly? Why was Snivellus so cruel? He let out a sharp bark and another growl.

Snape's dark eyes narrowed on Sirius. "He _wants_ to stay. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that dog _wants_ to see you bathe."

"Well, you do know better, and that's ridiculous. He's a dog! He's just being protective of me- isn't that right Wellington?"

Sirius answered him with another long lick to his face and a tail wag. _Yes, now go Snivellus- you're only getting in the way. Wellington the dog will protect Malfoy from any perverts- save for Wellington the dog, of course. _

Snape pressed his lips into a thin, pale line and slowly shook his head. "Very well- I suppose you're right. It's best if you keep him in here with you to prevent trouble. I don't want him biting any of our housemates; he might catch rabies from one of them."

Lucius decidedly ignored the part about rabies and cleared his throat. "Exactly. Thank you for coming in to check on me, but I'm fine Sev. Especially since I have Wellington to protect me."

"Yes, I see." Snape cast another glance toward Sirius- and for a second it felt as if his cover was completely blown. But with a shake of his head, the other Slytherin left the bathroom.

Alone. He was alone with Lucius in the bathroom again. His tail began to wag, and he fought to keep from panting. Sure enough, the shirt fell to the ground, and soon the rest of his clothing. If he was a human he'd be bright red by now- what with staring up at those graceful limbs, and perfectly combed hair cascading over pale skin. He was pale- his skin flawless and smooth- with the signs of lean muscle beneath the soft flesh. He was lean too- without being too lanky or too skinny, with a nice set of long, firm legs that trailed up to the ass he was ogling earlier. _Malfoy's a hot git.._. He watched him extend a leg into the new batch of bath water- and the rest of him went in, canceling his free show. But he didn't care, oh no. He padded over to the side of the tub, resting his head on the edge. Lucius's fingers stroked his muzzle with more love than he could have ever expected from a person he assumed had none. Even hearing him speak to Severus in such a warm tone made him feel somewhat jealous. Lucius would never speak to him that way when he was Sirius Black.

After his bath was over, Sirius had the luxury of watching him put on a bathrobe- made of a material that clung to his wet skin. He was so transfixed on watching the hem sway he walked into a wall. Lucius chastised him for being a clumsy dog as he helped lead him into the bedroom after a brief walk to the dungeon. He anticipated being made to sleep on the floor, which was where he parked himself to watch Lucius disrobe. The silk slid off his shoulders into a soft pool by his feet. He climbed into the bed- naked? If Sirius had eyebrows he would have raised them. _What an interesting tidbit, Lucius Malfoy sleeps naked_. He felt himself pant again.

"Goodnight, Wellington!"

Sirius shut his eyes. If he didn't have such excellent friends, he was half tempted to live as Malfoy's pampered dog. However- he had to get the hell out of here. He crept silently out of the room, sniffing around the Slytherin dungeon in search of some way out. It seemed the only way out was through the portrait. He let out a frustrated growl, falling to the ground in a heap in front of the portrait. He heard the sound of rustling in the common room, sniffing the air to see who it was. _Snivellus_. He sighed and got back up, heading toward the sound. There was his nemesis, sitting on the couch with a large book in his lap.

"Yes, Wellington?" Snape drawled out uninterestingly. "If you're looking for a belly rub, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."

Sirius let out a barking whine, dancing on his paws again- for the first time trying to get Snape's attention for a good reason.

"Do you have to go out to piddle? I'm surprised you haven't gone already in some corner of the dungeon. Go tell your eager owner to go take you for a walk. I'm not a dog person." He turned to the next page. He felt teeth pulling on the bottom of his robe, making him reach down to swat him on the nose. "Get away from me! I'm not taking you for a walk!"

_Oh come on Snivellus!_ He whined pathetically and put his head in the middle of his large book. He stared right up at Snape, praying for pity. And finally- with frustrated sigh- the other teen put down the book and started for the portrait. He muttered a word Sirius couldn't catch and the portrait swung open. He scampered out the hole, and out of the dungeons as fast as he could.

TBC!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Must Love Dogs  
>Pairing: Sirius Black x Lucius Malfoy<br>Characters: Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, James Potter, Remus Lupin  
>Rated: T<br>Warnings: SLASH M/M, some implied voyeurism and wishful thinking 

Summary: AU FIC! LUCIUS IS THE SAME AGE AS EVERYONE ELSE. Lucius finds a stray black dog- or what he assumes is a stray- on the Hogwarts grounds one day.

Author's notes: This story is completed! I will be uploading chapters at will. It was started July 24, 2011- I forgot about it- and came back to clean it up. Enjoy!

(*) Chapter 3 (*)

"I still can't believe how great your hair looks." James said with a sigh as he admired Sirius's shiny, healthy looking hair. "You won't have a problem getting a date any time soon. Mind telling me what exactly your secret is?"

"Free sample in a magazine I swiped." Sirius said sheepishly- he knew damn well the cause of his gorgeous hair was due to Lucius's remarkable potion, yet he wasn't about to go spreading that fact around. He yawned loudly- still tired from his odyssey in the dungeons last night.

"Damn! Oh well. Try to remember what it was called, will you?"

"Of course, I… Oh no." He made a pained face as he watched Lucius and Severus approach them. The blonde Slytherin was visibly distraught while Snape looked mildly annoyed as he held on to a stack of posters. "Er…"

"This is no time for jokes, Black! My dog Wellington is missing!" He paused, waiting for his friend to step in. Annoyed when he didn't, he glanced back at him. "…Severus."He sniffed.

With a delayed heavy sigh, Snape handed him one of the posters. It didn't have a picture on it, but it had details of what "Wellington" looked like, coupled with a fat amount of reward money for finding him. "For the love of all- if you've seen this blasted animal-" He winced when he felt Lucius's cold stare on him. He sighed again. "_Wellington_. If you've seen _Wellington_ please let us know." He paused for a moment and frowned. Something smelled familiar. He sniffed the air again, and his eyes widened. It was Lucius's shampoo- he'd know it everywhere. He'd grown used to the rich scent on his companion, but now he smelled it on someone else. Not James, but… he narrowed his eyes a little in realization, and bore a hole through Sirius with his piercing dark gaze.

James looked down at the poster. "Big black dog huh? Well, we'll-"

"-We'll tell you if we see him! Oh boy look at the time, we're going to be late! Snivellus, Malfoy."He grabbed James's arm and ran off with him down the hall.

As they ran, James couldn't help but look to Sirius with a lopsided grin. "Sirius, this dog- is that-"

"Not now James."

(***)

It wasn't until lunch that Snape had the chance to fully speak to Sirius. He wasn't sure how Sirius did it, but he was certain of one thing. There was no way the Gryffindor would ever be given access to that shampoo. He pardoned himself from the table, laying a hand on Lucius's back in a quiet sort of support as the blonde teen was looking impossibly more distraught over the loss of his precious pet. That alone made his upper lip curl. There were two people in this life he cared for- Lily Evans, and Lucius Malfoy. And if Black was going to torment one of them, Snape was going to do something about it.

"Uh oh, incoming Snivellus." Peter snickered, watching as Snape said a quick hello to Lily and made his way over to them.

Sirius bristled and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uneasy under the same heavy stare Snape gave him earlier. He looked busy with his drink, not wanting to turn around.

"What do you want, Sniv?" James smirked up at him from the table. "But please- make it quick."

Snape kept his gaze on Black's back. "I'm here about _Wellington_- that mangy mutt Lucius has grown unfortunately attached to, as you all know." He scowled slightly, not wanting to recall how much time he spent hanging posters this morning. As far as he was concerned, this whole mess was all the fault of one boy. "…He even gave the mutt a bath using his most prized shampoo- legendary for its ability to make tangles into spun silk. Funny thing is; I smelled it earlier on another student. But not on Lucius. Care to explain how that could possibly be?" He drawled out watching as Sirius sank lower in his seat. His satisfied smirk grew.

"The hell if we know, Sniv! We haven't seen the ickle princess's pooch. We don't know what you're talking about with this stupid shampoo potion nonsense either, though maybe your buddy…" James paused to make an obscene humping gesture with his hands. "…Can lend you some of it. Lord knows you need it."

"How witty of you Potter. I hope you didn't waste all of your quick thinking up on coming up with it. I'm certain you need all the meager brain power that you have in that tiny skull of yours to make it through the day."

"I think I might have seen Wellington!" Sirius stammered and stood up. "Come on Sniv, let's go have a quick word about it in the hall."He left his seat and the table quickly, while the other teen followed in no particular hurry. Once they were in the hallway, Sirius gave Snape a sheepish look. "Figured it out, did you?"

"Yes I did. I'm not sure how you've done it yet, but I will find out. There aren't many spells out there that can turn a person into an animal for extended periods of time."

"…I know there is no love lost between us, but do you have to?" He said slowly, looking at the smug look on his face and the amusement dancing in his dark eyes- an expression he never would have expected to see on Severus Snape of all people. "I promise to be good, Snape- just… drop it would ya? It was an accident how this thing happened! Malfoy wasn't supposed to see me! You… you can tell him it was a joke. A harmless prank, even!"

"Yes." The amusement and smirk left Snape's face rather quickly. "How funny a joke, indeed. The one person save Lily, the only other body in this whole school I can call a friend is now in the midst of a so called 'harmless marauder prank', which for your information, are neither harmless nor funny. Now, he's all upset because he's grown unfortunately attached to you as that ugly dog. Yes, it is a terrible mistake- But should he walk away from this damaged because of _your_ mistake, I shall go to every level of authority in this school to let them know that you're up to _something _you shouldn't be. And it won't take me long to figure it out either. I've already thought of endless possibilities of what you may have done to achieve and hold a dog form for so long."

"I really didn't mean him any harm, I swear- just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Please don't tell anyone of these 'possibilities', I… well… Okay. I obviously can't promise he won't get hurt-" As soon as the words tumbled out of his mouth, Snape turned to leave. He reached out and caught the smaller teen's shoulder. "Wait, hear me out. I don't…" He raked his teeth over his bottom lip in thought, carefully choosing his next words. "Malfoy's not bad when I'm his dog. I don't really want him to get hurt either, but I can't think of a way out of this. I'll need your help."

Appeased, Snape nodded. "Fair enough. We'll work together on this. Tonight, come to the dungeons as… Wellington. I'll let you in. That should ease his broken heart in time for us to come up with some sort of plan to get you out of this with Lucius's spirits intact. As for your… dog form… should you not want me to spoil it by telling anyone I… want a favor from you."

Sirius hesitated on his feet. "Alright… I suppose I'm in no position to barter."

"You aren't. I want to ask Lily to the winter ball. However, wanting it and saying it are two different things." He looked sourly at Sirius, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "I want your help in… in getting up the courage…"

"Oh! Oh sure! Yeah, I can do that." Sirius nodded. He was more than capable of doing that, as a matter of fact- James's interests in Lily Evans be damned. "I'll see you tonight then, at the Slytherin dungeons." Once Snape had given him a curt nod and walked away, Sirius slumped up against the wall. He frowned just a bit, wondering if he should just tell Lucius what happened. However, that would mean he had willingly let Sirius watch him undress, all under the misguided notion that he was a dog. His thoughts soon traveled off topic, playing the scene over in his mind.

Lucius had nice legs. Long, lean, deceptively powerful- he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have those limbs wrapped around him. Lucius, in his mind, welcomed him to his dorm bed, as Sirius Black. Whatever he was saying was spoken in that similar warm tone he used when he was Wellington. Those hands that combed through his fur when he was Wellington, now went through his long hair with all the same tenderness and love. The slim, elegant lips were soon upon his. A blush crept up on Sirius's cheeks, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why that was. He had a long list of witches and wizards he messed around with, and very few of them brought out this type of reaction.

Lucius Malfoy was different, he was unobtainable. He did not throw himself at Sirius; he barely muttered a 'hello' to him on most days. Just a few days ago, that did not matter to Sirius. Now, knowing that there was a side to Lucius that was desirable, Sirius was at a loss. He ran a hand through his silky hair, frowning slightly. If this mess with 'Wellington' ended poorly, Lucius was going to forever remain unobtainable.

TBC

***This story is already AU- Snape calling Lily a mudblood never happened***


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Must Love Dogs  
>Pairing: Sirius Black x Lucius Malfoy<br>Characters: Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, James Potter, Remus Lupin  
>Rated: T<br>Warnings: SLASH M/M, some implied voyeurism and wishful thinking

Summary: AU FIC! LUCIUS IS THE SAME AGE AS EVERYONE ELSE. Lucius finds a stray black dog- or what he assumes is a stray- on the Hogwarts grounds one day.

Author's notes: This story is completed! I will be uploading chapters at will. It was started July 24, 2011- I forgot about it- and came back to clean it up. Enjoy!

(*) Chapter 4 (*)

Snape sat in the common room, a book laying flat on his legs that for once, he wasn't reading. The words on the page seemed millions of miles away, dancing in front of him to tease him for his inability to concentrate. He kept glancing over to Lucius who was sprawled out miserably on the opposite couch. "He'll come back."

"No he won't- he's probably long gone." He mumbled. "And I'll be alright; please stop trying to pretend to read on my account. You can return to your book guilt free- _you_ didn't let my dog out."

He let out an uncommitted grunt, his dark eyes wandering up to the clock. "Ah… Very well." Sirius was trying his patience. The night was growing old and he still wasn't here. "Earlier, when we ran into Black and Potter, did… did you notice anything off about Black?"

Lucius gave him an odd look. "Not particularly. I wouldn't spare him a second of my time, especially considering the loss of my dog. Why?"

"The fool had several new hickies on his neck. He looked like a connect the dot game." The blonde gave a snort at that, and Severus relaxed just slightly. He felt a bit better now that he knew Lucius didn't smell his own shampoo on Black. He figured as much, his friend was visibly distraught this morning. That made life far easier in trying to figure a way out of the mess. He went back to his book, sighing in frustration before finally shutting it.

"What in Merlin's name has got you so frustrated?"

"A book on the history of animagi."

Lucius quirked an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, would make you read such a thing?"

"A hunch, wrapped in a curiosity. But this is of no use to me today."He muttered and shut the book. "I can't concentrate."

"All on my account?"

"You are the only one whose misery I can't ignore."

"I'm honored." Lucius grinned a little and stood up. "Fancy a walk? Might clear my head a bit."

"Feeling pity and physical activity? Why don't you just ask me to lay out in the sun with you, and make it a trio of activities I loathe to do?"

Lucius chuckled softly, extending a hand to help the other boy up. "Come on then. Let's get to it before we're caught after curfew."

"Ah- sure. I'll get our cloaks." He inwardly cursed Sirius, casting one final look to the clock. He shook his head, muttering to himself as he tossed Lucius his cloak and donned his own tattered cloak. Severus walked back to the blonde, following him out of the Slytherin dorms. As they approached the end of the dungeons, the soft clicking of nails on the stone floor caught the attention of both boys as Wellington poked his head around the corner. In his mouth were a couple of sunflowers Sirius took the opportunity to snip earlier.

"Wellington!" Lucius exclaimed and went right over to the black dog. He knelt down and took the flowers, ruffling the fur behind his neck. "…While I'm not sure how you got these, I think they're beautiful." He hugged the dog, which in turn made Sirius pant. He licked at the blonde's cheek, sticking his nose into his hair and gave a good long sniff of Lucius's pleasant scent. "Does Wellington want a belly rub?"

Sirius barked eagerly and instantly got on his back. His tongue hung out of his mouth as he kicked his legs in the air while Lucius rubbed his stomach. He looked up at Severus whose scowl he'll never forget.

"Enjoying that aren't you?" He sneered down at the dog.

He barked again, turning his head to lick at Lucius's hand. He got up on his four legs, putting his front two paws on Lucius's thigh, leaning the rest of his body against him.

"Oh Sev, isn't he just the _best_?"

"He's something alright." He muttered. "Let's get back to the common room then." He uttered a sigh, watching Lucius as he walked back toward the entrance to the dorm, the swagger back in his step. Sirius, or rather Wellington, hung impossibly close to his side- his tail wagging fast. He continued to scowl even after they were seated in the common room. Lucius transfigured a scrap of parchment into a vase to put the sunflowers in. His finger lingered over the straight line cut on the stalks before plunging them into the vase. Someone had cut them- he wondered briefly if Wellington stole someone's flowers before brushing the thought away from his mind for the moment.

Sirius had climbed into Lucius's lap when he returned to sit on the couch, or at least part of it. His tail was still wagging as he seemed to be relishing in all the attention that Lucius's long, elegant fingers were bringing him as he scratched behind his ears.

Severus shook his head in disgust. "He's _drooling_."

"He's a dog."

"In more ways than one." He muttered and picked up his book from earlier. He tapped on the cover, which had its desired effect. Sirius looked over and froze, taking in the sight of what exactly Severus was reading.

He uttered a loud whine, climbing off of Lucius to rest by his feet.

"Good dog." Severus said smoothly and tossed the book on the table.

"Aw, Wellington- what's the matter? Does someone need a bath again?"

Sirius leapt to his feet, barking and wagging his tail. The chance to have solitude with Lucius again was something he wasn't sure he'd have the opportunity to experience ever again. He danced on his paws, giving a series of barking whines at Lucius.

"Someone's eager!" Lucius stood up, laughing as Sirius tugged on the bottom of his cloak.

"Oh for pity's sake!" Severus scowled as he watched the dog tug so hard on Lucius's cloak that it was making him trip while he walked. "…You won't be bathing with Wellington, will you?"

Lucius blinked in surprise. "Now why would I go and do something like that? Come on Wellington! To the bathrooms!" He started toward the Slytherin bathrooms this time, Sirius right at his side.

(***)

It was wonderful- Lucius's long fingers, his gentle touch and the scent of his soaps were like experiencing intoxication of the grandest kind. The way he spoke to Sirius, the warmth and the love in his voice made him feel more relaxed than he had ever felt- it seemed impossible for Lucius to possess such a warm tone in a voice that was normally so cold. _Why can't he talk to me like that when I'm a human? It'd pay off for him_. _We could date, and I could show him the world according to Sirius Black- which would be an excellent place for him to be in, all things considering._ He wagged his tail a little as Lucius brought him up to the dorm room to sleep.

"It's time for bed, Wellington. Normally I would think better of having an animal sleep with me, but you're different- I'm just so happy you're back."

Sirius's tail stopped dead. He seemed to be rooted on the spot, especially when Lucius's clothes hit the floor. _Oh right, he sleeps naked. Merlin, this is a bad idea. _He whined softly, glancing to the door.

"Nonsense! I can't have you sleeping in the common room!" Lucius shook his head and slid beneath the emerald covers of his bed. "Now get on up here with me so I can close the curtains."

_Merlin, what if I lose concentration and I wake up next to him as a flesh and blood human being? _He hung his head and slowly made his way over, getting up on the foot of the bed. The curtains shut around them, enveloping them in soothing green color. He kept his head hung low, looking away from Lucius.

He reached over, stroking his head gently. "I still can't believe you came back. Like I said, I only have Severus and you. Even while home, it's just me. Father's gone all the time, and it does get terribly lonely." He said quietly as he stroked behind his ears. "Animals are quite nice, you know. They don't judge you. They see only you. You don't have to pretend to be anything other than who you actually are- there's no reason to hide anything from a pet. A pet can't be nasty to you, or make you feel uncomfortable simply because you look a certain way. _You_ wouldn't call me pretty princess Malfoy." He murmured. "I wish Severus liked you more. He's like me- with very few friends. Having a pet might be a good thing for him. I hope you'll be nice to him."

_Please, it's all I can take to not piss on his leg_. Sirius however nodded. He laid down on the bed, his eyes finally looking up at Lucius. There was no scowl on his face, just a contented smile and soft hair framing his sharp features. He looked peaceful, like he was seeing a completely different person. He gave the softest sounding whine he could muster. _Why does he have to be so damn attractive? Why does he have to hate me so much as a human? …I have to try to get him to think differently about me. Anyone who treats a dog this nicely can't be that bad once you get to know them. _

"Goodnight, Welllington. In the morning, we'll play fetch on the grounds."

(***)

However, when the morning came, Sirius was long gone from Lucius's bed- and heading straight for the safety of the Gryffindor common room. He staggered into the common room, looking disheveled but with perfectly shiny, tangle free hair. He walked over to a chair, running his hands through his hair. "Merlin." He muttered.

"My thoughts exactly, mate." James nudged him with his foot. "No hello?"

Sirius jumped, looking to his house mate seated across from him. "Prongs! Ya scared me! I didn't even see you!"

"Obviously- Despite my magnificence." James grinned. "You were out all last night. You look like hell. …So… details?"

"Erm… Hufflepuff witch." Sirius said sheepishly. "M' exhausted though, I should probably just take a nap."

"Ah, right. Out shagging. Not surprised. Here I thought you might be off masquerading as Malfoy's pet dog, Wellington."

Sirius winced, but didn't say anything in return. When he rolled his head back to stare at something he found suddenly so fascinating about the ceiling as opposed to meeting his eyes, James made a face.

"Hah! Thought so." James shook his head. "Now that that's out of the way, ya might want to go and explain to me why the hell you're Wellington the dog."

Sirius shrugged a shoulder. "Wrong place, wrong time. I was relaxing a bit by the river when Malfoy found me- He kidnapped me and brought me to Slytherin. Now I'm his prized pet dog Wellington. Of all the luck, right?"

"Just blow him off then. There's no reason for you to risk yourself being found out since… you're not exactly Wellington one-hundred percent of the time."

"I can't do that! Malfoy may be a git to us, but when I'm Wellington he's… like a different person. You can't be truly bad if you like animals…" He trailed off. "I'll think of a way to break it off without spilling my secret, don't you worry about that Prongs." Doing it gently however, was the true task at hand.

"Well, you go and do what you have to. I still think you should handle this fast, like pulling off a band-aid!"

Sirius just shook his head. "I can't do that to him, Prongs I-"

James's face soured instantly. "Damn it Pads, you like him don't you?" He watched as Sirius fumbled with his hands, looking thoroughly sheepish. It wasn't a verbal answer but he got the picture. "Why do ya always gotta go and make things more difficult than they ought to be…? One of these days, Pads, you're going to wind up in more trouble than me due to chasing tail- and that's really saying something."

"Shut it." He muttered. "Sniv's helping. He doesn't want Malfoy's heart getting broken, so he's keeping his interests at heart… This whole situation is under control."

"Up until Malfoy's discovered you're gone again." James pointed out.

"…Damn it." Sirius moaned and slumped in his seat. "I was concentrating on getting out of there at the first chance I could. I want to salvage this. I have to- I… there's a side to Malfoy that's rather nice."

"You mean his arse?"

"No! Well… yeah, who am I kidding. Wellington the dog is at a perfect height to properly ogle. But it's more than just his arse- he's capable of being rather nice to people who aren't us. Caring, even. I'd like him to be that way toward me-"

"Oh, sure. Good luck with that one, Pads. Why don't you try and set a more obtainable goal, like… resurrecting Lady Godiva for a quick fuck if you're wanting an unobtainable blonde with long hair. Might have more of a shot."

"I can't help it! It's the fact that he _isn't _obtainable that well… I'll win him over. I just never knew…" He thought of the gentle fingers on his scalp, the soft voice speaking so soothingly to him. His foot thumped on the ground uncontrollably. "I'll figure out a way out of this mess. You'll see."


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Must Love Dogs  
>Pairing: Sirius Black x Lucius Malfoy<br>Characters: Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, James Potter, Remus Lupin  
>Rated: T<br>Warnings: SLASH M/M, some implied voyeurism and wishful thinking 

Summary: AU FIC! LUCIUS IS THE SAME AGE AS EVERYONE ELSE. Lucius finds a stray black dog- or what he assumes is a stray- on the Hogwarts grounds one day.

Author's notes: This story is completed! I will be uploading chapters at will. It was started July 24, 2011- I forgot about it- and came back to clean it up. Enjoy!

(*) Chapter 5 (*)

Sirius looked on with some guilt later in the day as he watched Malfoy calling out for Wellington on the grounds. It made his stomach churn. "I hate this." He muttered, watching a rather reluctant Severus join him. His feet felt like lead as he crunched over the grass to meet up with them. "Still looking for your dog, Malfoy?"

Lucius scowled at him. "It's none of your business, Black. …Nice hair." He turned his nose up at him, turning away from the other teen. "Sev, did we check the edge of the forest yet? He could have went over there."

Sirius shuffled his feet, looking severely uncomfortable- though glad he threw his hair back into a ponytail as it hid some of the more obvious effects of Lucius's hair potion. "Can I help?"

"Why, so you can pick on me?" Lucius shot back bitterly. "Forget it."

Severus ground his teeth, looking like it was taking every bit of his being to speak. And when he did, it came out jumbled. "Heshouldhelp."

"What?" Lucius whipped around looking to Severus. "Did you just…"

"Don't make me attempt to say it again." He looked defeated. "Lucius, why don't you go back and gather some flyers- Black and I will check the edge of the forest."

"…A-are you sure?"

"Perfectly sure."

Are you _sane_?"

Severus sighed. He nodded. "Of course. Now go!" He shooed Lucius on toward the castle and then gave Sirius a weary look. "I have an idea. It's not a perfect one, but I think it'll keep the peace between all of us."

Sirius perked up a bit. "Really! What is it?"

"…It will require one of your fellow apes."

"My fellow… _fine_." Sirius looked indignant. "I'll bring Remus, he's the more sensible one. He'll understand…"

"Good. Lupin will pretend to be your owner. He will tell Lucius that he feels terribly about the whole thing, but he's your owner and you need to go back with him. That's why you keep vanishing at night- you're returning to Gryffindor tower."

"That's brilliant." Sirius blinked. "Good one Sni—Snape." He brightened and then cleared his throat, looking sheepish. "…Er… Is Lucius single, by the way? I mean… I haven't seen anyone making some sort of move around him so I figure he must be-"

"Try it, and I will hex off a part of you that you happen to cherish very much." He scowled at the other boy. "Now- go tell Lupin. I'll have Lucius come out toward the great hall later. We'll meet you-as the mutt- and Lupin. Then this whole mess will be over."

"Does he have a date to the ball?"

Severus scowled at him. "Damn it, Black! I already told you—and try to pay attention for more than just a few damn seconds!"

"I heard you." Sirius pouted. "…Does he?"

He just shook his head, glancing back toward the castle where he spotted Lucius. "Quickly- look as if you're trying to beat me up. We have to keep up proper appearances."

"NO!" Sirius frowned. "I am not going to do that-"

"You're not going to change his mind about you! And don't you get too close to him, he'll smell his shampoo all over you and this whole delicate solution will be for _nothing_!" He hissed to him. Lucius was fast approaching, looking upset with them both for seemingly standing around doing nothing while his dog was gone.

Sirius shot his arm out and pulled Severus to him, gripping tightly to the other boy's arm in a seemingly friendly embrace as they stood side by side. "Oh there you are! Look, we're buddies now. Me and your friend- good ole Sni—Snape. …Want to go to the winter ball with me?"

Severus looked positively green and sick to his stomach. He shoved Sirius away from him. "Idiot!" He snarled and took hold of Lucius's arm. The blonde was obviously in shock at the sight, staring hard at Sirius even as he was pulled away from the scene by Severus.

"What in Merlin's name has gotten in to Black?" Lucius hissed to Severus. "He has some nerve thinking I'd go with him."

"Haven't the slightest." Severus said through gritted teeth.

(*)

That night, Severus geared their unending search for Wellington the dog to the area around the great hall. The familiar clicking sound of a dog walking across a hard floor caught their attention. Lupin, with Sirius at his side, approached them. "Oh. It's Wellington. Oh, happy day."

Sirius growled lightly in his throat at him, and then gave a happy bark to Lucius- his tail wagging eagerly.

"Lupin! You've found my dog!" Lucius exclaimed reaching out to Wellington. "Come along then, Wellington—Lupin, I'll have my father send you your reward."

"Er… Malfoy." He murmured. "This is my dog. His name is… ah… Snuffles... Though Wellington is a good name for a dog!" He added quickly. "I'm sorry about the confusion; I heard you've grown really attached to him. I guess this explains where he's been off to most nights."

Lucius's face fell immediately at Remus's words. He tucked a stray strand of long blonde hair behind his ear. "I… yes. Can't I buy him from you? I'll pay you handsomely!" His voice was borderline begging, as he looked to the other teen- his grey eyes pleasing profusely.

Remus bit his lip and shook his head. He swallowed, deciding to not look Lucius in the eye. He couldn't, for fear he'd cave. "No, no- He's my dog. I just er… wanted you to know, so you didn't get too attached. I'll make sure he doesn't get out any more to bother you."

"I'm afraid you're far too late for that." Lucius's face instantly grew hard when he realized Remus wasn't about to budge on this no matter how hard he attempted to plead visually. "…_Fine_. Come along Severus. I don't need some stupid dog anyway." He grumbled and turned away. He didn't wait for Severus to catch up, determined to put as much space as possible between him and the black dog he thought was his own. He ignored the pleas to wait up from his companion as he rounded a corner to head back to the dungeons.

(*)

Sirius wanted to head off after Lucius- partially due to the canine instinct to chase something that was running. The look of pure hatred Severus shot him after Lucius quickly left the hall told him to remain put- lest he be hexed unpleasantly. He hung his head, walking with his tail tucked between his legs alongside Remus. The next day he stole looks at the Slytherin table, frowning slightly as he watched Lucius chewing his food as if it tasted terribly, his shoulders hanging low- and his normally perfect posture was impossibly slouched.

Severus had closed ranks on him, not allowing him to get in a moment with Lucius alone. Sirius kept an eye on him, following several feet behind the pair of Slytherins in hopes to get Lucius alone- if only to check on him. It wasn't until several nights later that he got the chance he had been waiting for. Lucius was heading out toward the same river area where he met Wellington the dog. Perfect. He quickly went to gather a few interesting looking plants- making a bouquet out of it. He adjusted his collar, his hair, and put on his most dashing smile- walking toward the river. "There you are!" He chirped, resting his one foot up on the root. He braced his arm on top of his raised leg, leaning over a bit.

Lucius sat up against the tree, looking none too pleased to see Sirius. "Go away. Just because Severus isn't here, doesn't mean that you can bother me now."

Undaunted, Sirius continued as if he hadn't heard what Lucius said. "I'm sorry about your dog. When Remus said he believed Snuffles was Wellington, I felt pretty bad. You seemed to love that dog."

Lucius remained still, his expression hard.

"I just… I never knew you could be so kind toward something and… I'm really sorry." He said quietly. "I wish it didn't have to be that way, but you didn't put up much of a fight either- you knew it wasn't meant to be deep down inside. I didn't think you would take someone's pet away from them just because you wanted it that badly."

Lucius shifted uncomfortably, not bothering to look at Sirius. "Please Black, just… go _away_."

Sirius cleared his throat, still not listening to Lucius. "My offer still stands- I think we should go to the ball together. Here, these are for you." He stuck out the bouquet.

Lucius glanced over at the 'these are for you' comment. His eyes instantly widened. "Black!"

"They're just some wildflowers, I thought you might like them." He smirked at Lucius, and then quickly frowned as he finally registered the look of pure horror on the blonde's face. "…That's not the expression I was hoping for."

"You _idiot_! That's…" He looked closer at the bouquet. "Poison hemlock, poison oak, poison ivy, poison sumac… and some others… Oh Merlin, Black—your face!"

"My wha..?"Sirius frowned, feeling slightly dizzy. He dropped the bouquet and slowly began to scratch at his arms. "Oh… itchy. Really… itchy… dizzy… Nnngh, my legs- can't stand…" He crumpled to the ground, his vision swimming. He looked up as his vision blurred in and out of focus at the blonde teen as he hovered over him. He wanted to touch the golden rivers that hung down from his face like spun silk but at this point he couldn't remember if he had hands. The last thing he recalled was his body being lifted before darkness claimed him.

(*)

He awoke on a hard surface- his arms covered in glop that was on his face and even shoved up in his scalp. His vision blurred in and out of focus until he realized he was staring at all the quills he had chucked up and gotten stuck in the potions classroom ceiling over the years. He couldn't speak yet, his throat burned uncomfortably.

"You are such a fool, Black. You could have seriously injured yourself. Someone needs to pay closer attention in herbology."

Sirius looked to the side to see Lucius. For once, he wasn't angry, and despite the words- he didn't sound nasty either. He looked almost concerned, which was the nicest facial expression he had ever received from Lucius Malfoy.

"I carried you back here. Force fed you an antidote, and covered your rash covered arms in a cream to stop the itching. …I also taped your fingers together so you couldn't scratch at the rashes." He gave him a cool look. "Because you're an idiot who picked everything poisonous in a field- what on earth were you thinking?"

Through his half swollen throat, and the bit of drool hanging out the side of his mouth, Sirius attempted to speak. "Preeetah flowbers forrb preetah Lubius."

Lucius made a face at him. "I… see."

"Gotb tob ball wib me? Pweab?" He reached out for Lucius to which the blonde teen instantly recoiled as if the teen on the table was a monster. Then again, with his tapped up hands, rash covered arms and face—he was hardly recognizable as the skirt chasing Gryffindor.

Lucius sighed. "You know… you even have a rash on your scalp. I assume you attempted to straighten your hair at one point after picking those. When I went to put the itch cream on your scalp I noticed how soft and silky your hair was, along with a very particular scent- the kind of texture and scent only achievable by using my own personal shampoo. The kind I only use myself… along with a certain black dog I happened to lose possession of recently. How endlessly funny to find this out."

"Waib nob a prank- I libe you!" He struggled to get off the table. "Misunbersbanding! Pweab bebieve me! Neber meanb tob hurb you!"

Lucius pushed him back down on the table. "Stop it! You'll disturb the cream I spent time making."

"Lubius-"

He cringed. "_Stop_ saying my name. You're sullying it!"

"Gob tob ball wib me?"

"You are relentless." Lucius scowled, staring hard at the other teen for quite some time before finally speaking. "Fine. I will go to the ball with you. I'm not sure what it is that's inspired this act of generosity on part given you've managed to not only break my heart, and confuse the hell out of me- you must be quite good at transfiguration in order to remain a dog for that long. Or… it is something else." He watched as Sirius squirmed uncomfortably on the table. "Whatever it may be, it doesn't quite matter right now. Seeing you, the most 'handsome' boy in school hauled up on a table, puffy, swollen, and covered in goop has made me appreciate this… helpless but still oddly persistent side of you."

Sirius blinked, not quite sure where this was going. "…Arb you saying yeb?"

Lucius held up a hand to silence him before he continued. "-But during that time, I will only address you as _Wellington_. You will only answer to _Wellington_. You will wear a dog collar with a tag with a phrase of my choosing. I may enlist Severus in coming up with some ideas. He'll like that. And… Don't get off the table for another hour. I set a timer. Till then. Oh, and smile." He pulled a camera from off of one of the shelves and took a picture of Sirius in his current state. He took the photograph from out of the camera once it had printed and waved it around to help it air develop. "For Severus. He does enjoy your short comings after all. Remember- wait an hour." He turned up his nose at Sirius as he got off the chair. He walked out of the room, leaving a slightly stunned Sirius Black on the table alone.

Sirius beamed up at the ceiling. There was nothing like getting his way, even with the added humiliation.

FIN.


End file.
